World War I

Thomas McGree and brother William hailed from Karoola. Thomas enlisted in the AIF in Tasmania on October 17, 1916, and joined 40th Australian Infantry Battalion reinforcements in France in August 1917. He was wounded on October 4, convalesced in England, then rejoined his battalion on April 18, 1918. Just 12 days later, he was killed in action in the Ancre Valley. He was awarded the British War Medal and the Victory Medal and is buried at Mericourt-L'Abbe Communal Cemetery Extension, France. William enlisted in the AIF in Dandenong, Victoria on January 20, 1917. On February 19 he left Melbourne for England on the SS Ballarat which was torpedoed in the English Channel on April 25 and sank the following morning. None of the 1752 servicemen and crew was lost. William joined 40th Battalion reinforcements in France in September 1917. A severe gunshot wound on October 5 (a day after Thomas was wounded) made him unfit for duty and he returned home in February 1918. William was discharged on June 14, 1918, and was awarded the British War Medal and the Victory Medal. He died in Ararat in 1957, aged 63.

James Levis

World War I

"He would do any mortal thing for the men, always full of fun and good cheer, and was intensely popular," was Patrick Dillon's description of James William Levis. James was a carpenter from West Hobart. On July 26, 1915, he enlisted as a private in the AIF, aged 25. On the evening of July 28 1916, the 7th Brigade was transferred to the front line at Pozières. Their objectives; the heavily defended OG1 and OG2 lines north of the village. For James, it was his first time in battle. The attack was a disaster and six weeks after the 26th Battalion was relieved from Pozières, James' remains were discovered. He now lies in the Bouzincourt Communal Cemetery Extension, not far from where he fell at Pozières. Of the 484 soldiers buried there, he is one of five Australians and the only Tasmanian.

Charles Harwood

World War I

At 18, Charles Joseph Harwood enlisted in the army on June 18, 1917. He left Melbourne on August 4, 1917, and returned to Australia on March 23, 1919.